North Pole Ice May Melt???

I'm watching CNN, and a story comes on the TV that says the North Pole Ice Cap may melt for the FIRST TIME IN RECORDED HISTORY. The anchor read the story as if she were talking about the world's first Spanish speaking dog. Apparently, the Northwest Passage near Alaska is passable for the first time and there is about a 50-50 chance the North Pole will melt by September. Is anyone else worried about this? It seems to me that if the polar ice cap melts this summer, we might be in a little bit of trouble. If this is something that has never happened in history, this is unchartered territory, and who really knows what to expect or how to appropriately adjust? The only advice I have (and I should heed these words of wisdom, myself) is that now may not be the best time to live near coastlines...